Back in August 2014, Plastic Expert featured the exciting Scottish town of Dunbar here on our blog (which you can read here).
We were particularly impressed by the town’s decision to be the pilot scheme for Zero Waste Scotland, and get to a position where no waste is being sent to landfill. Now, nearly two years later, we have an update, though it’s not about Dunbar…
Similar to Dunbar, the Isle of Bute has joined the Zero Waste Towns initiative led by Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS), serving a crucial breakthrough for recycling, reducing, and reusing on the Island.
Considering Bute’s small land area, with a population of almost six thousand (2011 Census), it is perfect for the ZWS initiative that is consisted of small towns of 5,000 to 10,000 inhabitants, to create, within a limited territory, new models that meet the principles of the circular economy. The initiative also includes binding efforts of residents and businesses to reduce waste, recycle more, and use resources efficiently.
With the help of the Scottish Government, ZWS are promoting community-level actions in as many towns in Scotland as possible, to meet their target recycling rate of 70 per cent and reduce waste by 15 per cent in Scotland by 2025. The Isle of Bute will receive £200,000 (more than €270,000) for the implementation of this progressive project.
Through Zero Waste Towns, the residents of the Isle of Bute will be inspired, educated and empowered with the knowledge and skills to prevent waste, increase resource efficiency and thus reduce landfill costs and create jobs. The project will be coordinated by local social enterprise organization Fyne Futures, who will work closely with Zero Waste Scotland, Argyll & Bute Council, local groups, businesses and residents to coordinate a comprehensive approach to transforming attitudes to waste in the town.
Community-Led Initiatives Include:
The launch of an enhanced recycling collection trial in the Bush/Serpentine area, incorporating a larger range of plastics and textiles, will see recycling kits delivered to over 500 households, with the aim of increasing participation from 40 per cent to 90 per cent;
- A pilot food waste collection service will be introduced for up to 50 households, as well as training for food composting;
- Additional recycling facilities will be introduced;
- A community engagement program will be launched in order to raise awareness of the benefits of waste prevention, while increasing volunteers;
- A program aimed at local businesses will be launched to help them make necessary changes to prevent waste and increase resource efficiency;
- A service will be set up for the collection and reuse of used and waste electrical equipment (UEEE and WEEE);
Moves will be made to improve the quality and quantity of the recyclable collected goods, including biodegradable waste.
Back to the Basics
The 3Rs bring people back to the basics. Reduce, reuse and recycle are the simple things ZWS wants residents of Bute to do. Reducing waste has many great benefits, including conserving resources and important raw materials, protecting natural environment, saving energy, protecting the environment from pollution and saving some money. Every household produces, on average, 1.46 tons of waste every year, the majority of which gets put into landfills, which can be extremely damaging to the environment and use up the earth’s natural resources. People need to act now and do their part. They need to work harder to make this planet a sustainable one that will be around for many more generations.
“The journey towards becoming a Zero Waste Town will be a great way to bring the community together as we work to achieve a shared goal. We look forward to working together to lead the way in eliminating waste,” said Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead.
